


Who needs Cupid? We have Catapults.

by NRGmeta (NRGburst)



Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: Animated GIFs, Essays, F/M, Meta, Nonfiction, Ship Manifesto
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-05
Updated: 2020-03-05
Packaged: 2021-02-27 22:40:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22993327
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NRGburst/pseuds/NRGmeta
Summary: Ruffret Ship Manifesto.Originally posted on tumblr; archiving for March Meta Matters 2020.
Relationships: Eret/Ruffnut Thorston
Comments: 4
Kudos: 4
Collections: March Meta Matters Challenge





	Who needs Cupid? We have Catapults.

**Why I ship Ruffret**

****

****

[x](http://samwesson.tumblr.com/post/97053650060)

1\. Because she wants him.

The most important reason: evidence of spontaneous feelings. Yes, it is infatuation- Ruffnut thinks he’s the hottest thing she’s ever set eyes on, “the man of [her] dreams, [her] everything!” when she doesn’t know anything about him at all. 

But infatuation can easily turn into something more once a connection has been established; without physical attraction, there is no romance. That spark is far more important to relationships than our media tries to preach (it’s all about what’s inside!), even as they cast attractive people as protagonists and to sell products. Shallow? Hell yes. _This is how we are wired_. And I think he’s as attractive as she is. ( [The Matching Hypothesis in Social Psychology.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matching_hypothesis))

But of course, compatibility is also a HUGE part of romantic relationships, which leads me to:

2\. Because parallels.

Ruffnut insta-bonds with Scauldy in Defenders of Berk, a Scauldron that she is willing to risk her life (and then sacrifice most of her hair) for despite barely knowing him. Compare this to her instant heart eyes over Eret, a sailor. Eret also risks his life for Stormfly after she saves his life, despite a career of trapping dragons.

3\. Because they have similar personalities

It’s not just the impetuous willingness to take risks for others, it’s that they’re also both cunning, manipulative people to start. They’ve both been shown to have mercenary instincts (see Eret throwing the gang under the bus in that scene with Drago, and Ruff and Tuff selling admission to their emergency shelter and constantly manipulating Snotlout and Hiccup) so I find that selflessness hidden behind all the bluster and aggressive self-interest really compelling.

This kind of flexible morality is also why I think they’re so suited to each other- they don’t judge as strictly as Hiccup/Astrid/Fishlegs etc. They’re also both rough around the edges- I can picture them getting high or wasted, enjoying rude jokes and stories that would make the more straight-laced members of the gang :/. And I think total acceptance in a relationship is one of the things that make it OTP-worthy- don’t give me that “I’ll be a better man with you” crap. If you can’t be yourself, it probably isn’t going to last.

4\. Because her other options make her shudder.

You would have to work pretty hard to convince me that Fishlegs wouldn’t annoy her with his geeky meticulousness and cowardly tendencies; that Snotlout is any more sincere in his dogged pursuit of Ruffnut than he was with Astrid. She’s a prize to be won, not a person, which sends up HUGE red flags for me.

She’s grown up with them; she knows them really well. _She knows what she doesn’t want_. How about we take her word for it?

5\. Because [I wrote a fic about it.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/2330972/chapters/5136596)

A torn sail, her purple stained vest, a Scauldron and a crush. Yes, all these pieces gleaned from canon woven into a story that might convince you more than this meta. :P And yes, I know he rejected her the very first time they met, and media/social standards lead us to expect that the story should end there. But since he no longer believes that Berkians are insane, I think she has a better shot at changing his mind than trope standards might give her…

  


[x](http://snowydragons.tumblr.com/post/96795331159)

**Author's Note:**

> Original post is [here on my tumblr.](https://nrgburst.tumblr.com/post/100971868905/who-needs-cupid-we-have-catapults) This meta is several years old- I'm aware that things have changed by the third movie, but this was the reasoning I was following when I wrote my fic. :)


End file.
